Chapter 23
Claire’s POV
When I got to Valerie’s house, she was about to prepare for work. She opened the door and stood there for a while, watching me. We stared at each other for some time.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure. Good morning.”
“First and foremost, I’d like to apologise for what happened the other day…” I started.
“Would you like to drink something, Claire?” She asked, interrupting my speech.
“No, I am fine. Can you just sit down and listen to me? I know you must be upset with me. I don’t know what came over that day. I don’t know why I said those things about Damian. I’m so sorry, Val.”
I said and began to sob afresh. I hope Valerie will not see through this little drama and find out that I’m not being sincere.
She placed her hand on my shoulders and drew me in for a warm embrace.
“I am no longer upset with you, Claire. I understand that you must have said those unsavoury things because you are angry.” She said,
How can she say that she is not annoyed with me? We had a big fight the last time we met.
“I know you must feel like I am replacing you with Damian. I am in cognisance with the fact that we have not really done things together as we used to. But you must bear with me, it’s all because of my marriage that is to come.” She explained further.
“I have been feeling bad ever since that day you left my house in anger. Every night, I blame myself for allowing you to leave. I blame myself for hurting your feelings. Can you ever forgive me, Val?”
“I forgive you, Claire. I have forgiven you a long time ago. We’re still friends. You don’t have to feel bad. I didn’t talk to you after that day because I needed some space to figure something out.” Valerie responded.
“Something like what?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll sort them out by myself. But I need you to understand that Damian and I love each other and there is nothing anyone can do about it. We are about to get married as you already know so just accept the fact that soon, you will be my chief bridesmaid.” She giggled with so much excitement and touched my cheeks.
“I love you, Valerie.” I said and hugged her again.
“I love you too. Have you heard the news about Jade? Everyone has been talking about it”
“Oh, Jade. I think she deserves whatever is coming her way because of what she did to you. This is her own Karma. She has to face it.”
“Claire, how can you say that? Even if she did horrible things, this is still not a proper way to punish her.”
“Punish? I did not say that I was punishing her. I only said it could be Karma paying her back in her own coin.” This girl must not suspect that I have anything to do with Jade’s misfortune.
“I know you did not say so, but you sounded like it. Revenge has never been the best approach to things. Whoever did this to her must be the devil himself. Ending her career will not solve anything. I feel so bad for her and I have been trying to reach out to her but to no avail.” Valerie has a soft heart which will get her into trouble some day.
“Val, I think you should stay away from her case for the meantime so that you won’t drag your own name to the mud.”
Well, my mission here is accomplished. Time to hit the road.
I stood up and stretched myself lazily.
“Val, I need to get ready for work now. I’ll come around some other time, Okay? Take good care of yourself. Of course, I know you will sleep over at Damian’s place today.” I said and winked my eye at her. Valerie got the signal and laughed.
“No…actually, he travelled. But he will be back soon enough. Take good care of yourself too. You should probably think of getting yourself a man too, so that you can sleep over at his place.”
“Hahaha…Don’t worry, I’m working on that.” I replied.
“Really? Tell me about him. What is he like? Is he tall and cute?” She asked and winked back at me.
“Well, you’ll meet him very soon. Don’t get too excited now. Save it for later. You’ll be needing it. I have to leave now. Bye”
She stood up and walked me to the door, giving me a warm hug before I left.
***********
Damian’s POV
The time was 7:42 pm when my phone ringtone woke me up. I was stressed out from the day’s work and when I returned, I simply dozed off.
I checked my phone and it was my mum calling. My eyes were heavy with sleep so I ignored my phone until the call ended and I decided to call her back later.
But my phone began to ring again. For my mom to persist in calling, then she must have something very important to say.
“Hey, Mum, Good evening. I missed your call.”
“Dammy, how are you doing? Did I wake you from sleep? Your voice has given me the answers that I need.”
“I’m fine, Mum. Yeah, I was sleeping. I had a stressful day today at work.” I sighed in response.
“I’m sorry, Dearest. Tell me all about it.”
“Okay, at first I met a couple of reporters at the hotel in the morning, people that are always hungry for stories and gossip to write about.”
“What were they asking you about?”
“They were asking about Jade, my ex-girlfriend. You remember her, right? The one I introduced to you and Dad.”
“Yes, I recall. As a matter of fact, I called you tonight because of her.”
“I’m confused. Is there anything you want to discuss with me about her?” I asked in confusion.
“Damian, do you still have any connection with that young woman?”
“No, Mum. Actually, we broke up a long time ago even before I met Valerie.”
“Okay, that is good to know. You must have heard about her predicament. I don’t want you to keep being in contact with her so that she doesn’t drag you into her mess. Stay away from her as much as you can. You have a reputation to protect.” She warned sternly.
“I know, Mum. I’ll do just that. We have not spoken for quite some time now.” I didn’t want to disclose to her about what Jade did last week.
“Better. Even if she calls you to apologize for whatever went wrong between the two of you, pay no heed to her. You have Valerie now, focus on her, Okay?”
My mum always talks to me as though I was a six year old. Always forgetting that I’m turning twenty-nine this year.
“I’ve heard you, Mum. How are the wedding preparations going?”
“Smoothly. I’ll let you know when a date is fixed. Just focus on building a solid friendship and relationship with Valerie for now before you tie the knot. In marriage, you both will face trying times but your friendship is what will keep you going.”
“Okay, Mum.” Mum has always been looking for an opportunity to have this conversation so that she will start dishing out all the marital advices.
“I am not done yet. Listen to me, Damian. I have been in this journey long before you so I can advice you as my son. Your obligation in marriage is to love your wife while hers is to submit totally to you.”
“Your wife cannot submit to you if you don’t love her. When you love someone, you ought to provide for them and protect them. That is your role as a husband and as a future father. You must treat your wife more than the way you treat me.”
“Over the years, you have always been the responsible boy that I trained you to be, always having me in your best interest.”
“You have always involved me in anything you want to embark on but this time, I want you to do it with your wife.”
“Love her with everything you have because when old age sets in, she will be your only companion. Don’t forget that the major reason for marriage is companionship before procreation. Are you still there?”
“Yes Mother.”
“I wouldn’t want to bore you with stories this evening but always know that I want the best for you. My marriage was a love match, and we have loved each other ever since. I want you to experience a beautiful marriage too, filled with love, happiness and fulfillment.” She concluded.
“Thank you so much, Mom. You are priceless. I love you.”
“I love you too, Son. I will leave you now so that you can get some rest and prepare for the next day ahead.”
“Okay. Bye, Mom.”